Sven Ulreich has been a member of Bayern’s first-team squad for some eight years now, but the 36-year-old has mostly been in the shadows as back-up to Manuel Neuer. However, the goalkeeper has had to step into the breach on occasions – “like a fireman,” he says – as he’s done recently against Dinamo Zagreb and Werder Bremen.
Ulreich had prepared for a game in the same way he’s done almost every time over the last eight years as Bayern went to Bremen last Saturday. “Hotel, sleep, walk, lunch and then to the game. It’s basically always the same,” revealed the goalkeeper, who’s been in Munich since 2015, apart from a season at Hamburg in 2020/21. There was also no surprise for Ulreich at coach Vincent Kompany’s pre-match talk, with Neuer once again set to start. Ulle would take his place on the bench and be ready if called upon.
Left glove, right glove
So, Ulreich did his usual rituals in the changing room as well. “Left boot on first, then the right. Then the left glove, then the right glove. I don’t do it so much out of superstition but because I’ve got used to it that way,” he explains. However, as the teams walked out for kick-off, it wasn’t Neuer lining up but actually Ulreich, about to make his 103rd appearance for the club.
Neuer had felt a slight reaction in his thigh during the warm-up. He’d previously gone off at half-time against Zagreb as a precaution following a collision, with Ulreich taking over for the second half. The replacement hadn’t even touched the ball before Bayern conceded twice – two goals that even Neuer probably could’ve done nothing about. “When the worst comes to the worst, you have to be there and deliver a top performance. That's my job,” says Ulreich. “That's sometimes underestimated. When you sit on the bench for a long time and don't play, it's not so easy to find your rhythm. But I think I still manage to get back into it relatively quickly.” That was the case against Zagreb, when Ulreich made a brilliant save to prevent an equaliser. “Being a fireman - you can say that about my job,” the 36-year-old stated.
Fireman Sven was suddenly called upon again on Saturday against Werder. However, this time Bayern’s back-up didn’t face any danger, with his defence so solid that Bremen failed to muster a single shot on goal over 90 minutes. Nevertheless, Ulreich had 32 touches of the ball and covered just over five kilometres in the match, according to the statistics.
“The goalkeeping game has absolutely changed since my youth,” Ulreich explains. At VfB Stuttgart, where he kept goal in 220 senior matches, it was all about saving the ball. “During my time at FC Bayern, I’ve learned a lot about football and developed a lot here.” According to the keeper, there used to be three or four passes back to him per game. “Now we goalkeepers are firmly integrated into the build-up play, have a lot of touches of the ball and also special tasks, especially now under the new coach.”
“Have come to terms with my role”
Especially when you're thrown in at the deep end, like on Saturday in Bremen, you first have to gain confidence. Something that was more difficult for the young Ulreich than for the experienced one: “I've become much calmer. That's down to age and experience. I've long since come to terms with my role and really enjoy the situation. It's no longer the case that I wake up every morning and think I have to play as number one somewhere now. No, I'm happy the way it is.”
Special praise from Eberl
Board member for sport Max Eberl also praised the number two: “We know that we can always rely on Sven.” The challenge for the back-up lies in the uncertainty. Having to be there and perform when you don't expect it in advance - that's what Ulreich likes about his job alongside his everyday work in training. As he says, he has a friendly relationship with Neuer. Neuer and Ulreich support each other, push each other, help each other, and “we also enjoy doing things together in our private lives,” reveals the club’s No.26. The Schorndorf native no longer feels it’s a competition: “I feel super comfortable at Bayern. I really appreciate what I have here. We're like a family.” A family in which he is always happy to step in as a fireman.
Look back on the weekend’s commanding display in Bremen:
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